News Release Archive

Minor Ground Fault Incident at Grand Coulee Dam

Media Contact: Annette Ross, (208) 378-5322, aross@usbr.gov
Lynne Brougher, lbrougher@usbr.gov

For Release: October 28, 2013

GRAND COULEE, Wash. - On the afternoon of October 23, 2013, a ground fault occurred above the Grand Coulee Dam Left Power House. There were no injuries nor were there any damage to the lines, generator, or transformer.

The Generator 8 (G-8) penstock was being filled with water to return the unit to service after undergoing maintenance. As the penstock filled, the air released through the vent valve on the face of the dam also forced water out of the vent. The water stream was close enough to an energized power line to cause a path for electricity to flow from the line to the source of the water at the vent outlet. Some minor surface damage occurred to the concrete on the face of the dam at the fault location.

Reclamation is performing technical analysis on the cause of the fault to prevent similar events in the future.

Grand Coulee Dam was completed in 1942 and serves as a multipurpose facility providing water for irrigation, hydroelectric power production, flood control, recreation, fish and wildlife.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.